Digga Please?
October 8th, 2008 by sparky
The Digga Please? DJs have been taking The Big Chill Bar by storm with their 7″ collection for sometime now, so we collared the one and only Shepdog to find out some more about their nights…
Who are you?
We are two DJs, Shepdog and Kombine, collectors and purveyors of the finest (and sometimes worst) 7” records. Basically we met whilst at university in Leeds about 10 years ago – both of us were running hip hop nights so tended to bump into each other a lot. Over time we ended up DJing together and realised we’ve got the same musical tastes, so it seemed like perfect sense to play together more. We also run the NICE UP! night at the Big Chill House, as well as DJing all over the place.
Tell us a bit more about the night?
Well, the 7” thing came about after we were both moaning that we’ve got too many of the little buggers that we never play out, so decided to do a whole night devoted to them. Rather than do a genre-specific night, we thought it would be more of a challenge to go format-specific. The name is a twist on an Ol’ Dirty Bastard album title, but is also meant to be a bit tongue in cheek – there are so many serious/boring DJs out there who bang on about “digging” and all that, we’re just up for having a bit of fun and playing good records – not necessarily rare, just on 7”. Although it has since turned into a bit of an obsession and created a fair bit of competition between us – to see who can get the most interesting/random thing on 7”. Quite sad for 2 grown men really…
What have you been working on lately?
We’re looking to expand the night and get involved in some other stuff – maybe playing at other people’s nights around the country. We’ve had a few guests down in the past, so also looking into a bit more of that for the future. We’re also in the process of setting up a blog with downloads of the sets and well, we haven’t really worked out what yet. We’re both a bit technology-shy!
OK, so keeping with the 7” theme, what are your top 7 tunes?
Shepdog:
1. Der Kommissar – Falco
2. Get Up And Dance – Freedom
3. Mt Airy Groove – Pieces Of A Dream
4. Droppin Science – Craig G and Marley Marl
5. The Crown – Gary Byrd Experience
6. Numbers – Kraftwerk
7. Cuttin It Up – LTD
Kombine:
1. The Magnificent Seven – The Clash
2. I Need You – BVSMP
3. Moon Rocks – Talking Heads
4. Warm It Up Kane – Big Daddy Kane
5. Just Say No! (Instrumental with rap) – The Cast Of Grange Hill
6. Take Your Time – Mantronix Feat Wondress
7. (Not Just) Knee Deep – Funkadelic
Who or what inspired you to start DJing?
I guess with the 7” thing, we’ve got to tip the cap to Shadow & Cut Chemist – their Brainfreeze mix was definitely the catalyst for this night. In a wider sense, the holy trinity of Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa are reference points we always go back to. They were all masters of finding the funk in any genre. With regards actually influencing me to start DJing I’d probably say Jam Master Jay – I was a massive Run DMC fan when I was about 8 and remember my dad going mental at me for trying to scratch with his records!
If you could DJ back to back with another DJ (living or dead) who would it be, and why?
See above – Jam Master Jay!! Although I’d probably ask my dad if I could use his records this time. Of course, Shadow and Cut Chemist would be amazing to play with, although probably more of a humbling experience than an enjoyable one!
What’s been your best DJing experience?
It’s always good when someone actually clocks that we’re only playing 7”s – most people are completely unaware, or just don’t really give a shit, but its really nice when someone commends us on it. One of the funniest nights was when DJ Format asked us if he could play! That guy has some serious records!! He especially brought 2 records to diss me and Kombine with – a Yorkshire take on Rappers Delight called “Chip Shop Rapping” (I’m from Hull originally) and a cover of “Uptown Top Ranking” in a west country accent for Kombine (a Bristol lad).
And your worst?
The one when an annoying drunken woman managed to push her way into the DJ booth and proceeded to spill a full pint of lager into my record bag. Took me ages to wash, dry and get the stickyness off! The worst thing was she just wandered off as if nothing had happened…grrrrrrr.
What was your best Big Chill moment?
Finally “getting” dubstep at this years festival. Benga blew my socks off!
I’m just on my way to the bar – what I get you?
Tequilla seems a constant factor in most Digga Please? nights – don’t forget the lime!
When are you next performing?
The Big Chill Bar on Friday 10th October and then an Xmas special in December (tbc)